But the benefit of having the Grandstand as a temporary structure is so great. It can be made larger or smaller with every year, it can be moved back two meters one year if necessary to change the track of whatever, it can bu updated, it can have different seats or viewing options each year, and it saves them a huge amount of money…the alternative is a large structure that is permanent, requiring large maintenance fees, difficult to upgrade without large investment, and will sit there unused for the majority of the year!

The contract for Donington Park (DP) was secure, DP was well under construction and was due for completion and to hold a race in 2010, but things went wrong (money worries on the DP developer’s part) and because it was so late when DP redevelopment was cancelled, Silverstone was allowed to step in and host the UK round of the Championship.

Silverstone originally stole the Moto GP from DP, but they had to alter the layout of the track because bikes cannot take Bridge – it is too dangerous.This layout was designed to be the Moto GP layout starting in 2010:

However, when it was realised the F1 would be back at Silverstone so soon, it was decided that the new layout, known as ‘The Silverstone Arena Circuit,’ would have to be altered in order to accomadate the F1 cars as well as the MotoGP and Superbike’s (ANOTHER ONE OF SILVERSTONE’S TOP TIER SERIES) motorcycles. This design, the current layout was chosen:

Silverstone still has to meet certain facility criteria in order to be sure it keeps the F1 for many years to come.

Donington Park did terribly out of this, it lost the MotoGP, and then the F1 left without 1 race, and the place was destroyed by unfinished construction – however I beleive the original layout has been returned to DP.

Anyone know if they finished the F1-spec layout at DP after being so close to finishing it?

Calum- I’m not sure if I’ve misinterpreted what you said, but the Donington rebuilding barely even got started. They dug a few holes, tore down a few little structures, built a tunnel- but aside from that, very little happened. The circuit layout certainly never changed. They’re already back on their feet, they have World Superbikes there this year, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they got the Moto GP back in a few years too.

Actually, I did hear they were still planning to go ahead with a few changes to the circuit in the near future. I’m guessing it won’t be anything major, I don’t see where they could get the money to fund anything too grand

Right, I know the Silverstone story pretty well – but I’m near enough clueless on the Donny story. So all they got done was ground works and moving piles of dirt? Disapointing, what a load of BS that guy must have spurted in meetings with Bernie ect.